Crittermatic
patreon
The Big Update!
🕑 Added 2023-11-04 18:24:59 +0000 UTCOk so this upcoming change has been a long time coming. I've been creating monthly animations for over six years now without missing one or running late, and for the last few years I've felt like I need to make some big changes if I want to improve my content for you all and for my own mental health. The TLDR is that I won't be uploading full animations/votes to a set monthly schedule moving forward to allow me to improve my content. This change will start in January of 2024.
Why the change?
-The monthly schedule doesn't always fit with the project I'm working on. Sometimes ideas that would work great as short detailed scenes, have to be dragged out to an extended month project. Often ideas that I would want to put a lot more work into I have to shorten down to a month or two projects. This also means that as my cast of characters grows, people may not see their favorites as often as they would like to as characters that are harder to work with can't be in votes as often.
-The nature of 3D animation means I will often have a lot of troubleshooting to do. In some cases I've had issues that have meant I've had to cut down the project to upload on time, or I will not risk certain scenes because they could delay the animation. Sacrificing quality to meet deadlines is something I've had to do frequently and it's hard when as a result I see criticism of areas which I can't fix on this schedule. Sometimes when I see an idea really isn't working well, I can't just scrap it and move on to something new, I have to just continue even when I see it not turning out well. I get told “We don’t mind if it’s late” which I appreciate, but that would leave me with less time for the next month's animation.
-I've reached the limit on what I'm capable of doing per month. I'd really like to collaborate with other artists/voice actors/game developers. I want to learn new software and plugins, and ideally move my work over to blender so I could collaborate with more creators. Being able to develop characters full time instead of bit by bit over a year would be a huge help too. I'm always worried about trying out new software and plugins in case it messes up my current setup and delays my monthly animations. I barely finish each animation on time each month so it doesn't leave much time free for these endeavors.
-I feel like I've been riding years worth of burnout and this could be the only fix for that. I've never missed an animation upload for all the years and although I'm proud of that, it also really scares me to break away from that change now.
How things will change
-No set project deadlines. Some months may be a single detailed loop or progress updates, some months may be a much larger project upload. Whatever happens there will still be monthly content, that's always been important to me to provide as you are paying a monthly fee, you should receive monthly content.
-This will allow me to work on consecutive projects which will mean higher quality but less frequent animations. This could mean higher polish, higher FPS and resolution, more time spent on character rig development. I imagine the larger animations would be a multi month projects, and the shorter one off loops could be done in a week or two. I can't give exact time scales right now as I need to be working in this new way for a while to see what I'll be capable of.
-Votes will be saved for larger projects so will no longer be monthly. I want to be able to work on my own choice of smaller loops while working on the larger voted projects. Being able to do my own choice of smaller loops will be a great test bed for the larger voted for projects. The last planned vote using the old schedule will be at the start of December. I plan to use votes for more than just animation selection.
-Creator collaboration. With the flexible time I would be able to collaborate with other creators. You would think collaborating would speed up a project, but merging two creators' workflows on one project really slows things down. I was working on an unanounced Crittermatic VR project for a while with another creator, but we hit too many issues and I ran out of free time to continue it. I'd like to start that up again. The first collaboration project planned will be with Tasuric, after that I have quite a few other artists I’d love to work with.
-Development outside of animation. I want to be able to run a proper Discord server. If you're on the current server you will see it is very limited as I don't have the time to deal with any potential problems/content moderation. I’ll likely be needing some extra moderator help as the server expands so if that’s something you have experience with and would like to help, please send me a message. My website is also in desperate need of a renovation to be able to access all my content easier, I'll be testing some new methods of linking content soon.
I’ve felt like my content has stagnated and I can’t improve it or my mental health without this change. It will be a short time of experimentation to see what works best but I hope you will all see a big improvement as a result. Thank you all for your support <3
Comments
David
Honestly, now I'm a little worried about you 😅 You know, I've been following you for a very long time. If I remember correctly, I first found your content 5 years ago. Since then I've mostly watched your animations and art through Twitter, but anyway, I really enjoyed your content. Sometimes it even inspired me to create my own art. You are, in a sense, my muse xD I associate some of your characters (especially Cookie) with old times. This is probably why I was a bit scared when I read that you were starting to feel like you’re getting tired. Obviously, I know nothing at all about you as a person. However, I know enough about you as a Creator. The thing I'm trying to say is that I wish you to find yourself. Find a comfortable way to do what you like. Do what brings you pleasure. I consider myself a fan of yours and that’s why I will definitely support you and wish you good luck with anything you’re going to do. And of course, besides me you have other fans 😊 So don't worry about anything. Don’t be afraid to experiment because your fan base will definitely appreciate your content. Aaand sorry if I made some mistakes while writing this. I’m from Ukraine so I’m not really good at English 😅
Crittermatic
Really glad to hear that! It's my preference too, I never like uploading work when I can see problems with it
Alatreon
I'm actually quite glad that you're making this change. I always like to see a quality over quantity mentality.
Crittermatic
Thank you! I'm blown away with how positive of a reaction I've received <3
Octopus
Your animations are still some of my favorite out there, I absolutely agree with a lot of ppl here l that if you are spending more time refining your craft while also (and especially) being able to maintain your own mental/ physical health, then I am 1000% for it!
Crittermatic
Merci beaucoup, il y aura toujours du contenu mensuel donc il n'y aura pas de longues attentes pour les animations, mais j'apprécie que vous soyez prêt à attendre que j'obtienne une animation parfaite. :)
Crittermatic
Yeah I really hope so, I feel like this has to improve my content when before I had to rush so many areas of my animation to upload on time. It would be nice to go slow and make things perfect.
Crittermatic
It certainly doesn't feel like I've been doing this for 6 years, it's crazy to me too. Happy to hear you think it's a good way forward too!
Crittermatic
Yeah it really does feel like the work came before the passion for the last few years, here's hoping this change swaps that around again
Crittermatic
I hope so too, thanks!
Crittermatic
It's something I've wanted to do for quite a while, I'm scared of breaking away from what I've done for so long but I hope it will improve things
Crittermatic
Happy to hear it :D
Amber BlackFire
Personnellement je n ai pas grand chose a dire mais je te soutien a fond, mon abonnement sert à financer tes projet, il sert par conséquent à financer aussi les améliorations. Si je doit payer 2 mois de suite pour une seul annimation beaucoup plus complète et développer franchement ça ne me dérange pas
William Noble
This seems like it will not only be good for your health, but for the health of your content. Might take some time to get use to, but if your content improves then I like it.
ashgothorns
IMO this is the best way forward, being able to take your time is crucial to avoid burnout. That and developing and enjoying your craft is part of the fun of any job! To be honest it seems crazy to me how many years you've been rigorously sticking to that schedule, so it's great to see that you're changing into a less burnout prone schedule!
Paughl
Oh please do! without passion in your work, it will surely falter. Don't let your hobby/career dry up because of due-dates.
Leo Vistrom
I can't believe its already been that long honestly. It felt like only yesterday.
jerry
That's great news. Hope this changes will be good 4 Ur health and motivation!
Fed1
Your animation Will be more fantastic if you have more time. Patients and more creative thoughts. I'm down for you to experiment with new software This will be a big change for everyone The biggest change you know for you I've been watching a content for a very long time since bathroom break. Take up a time you need And your Animations can Be more improved Even they don't need to be Take care of Mental health
Specter
in my case i really like how the changes sound so im looking forward to it when it comes :D
KSM101
I eagerly await the changes and hope nothing but the best for you boss
Crittermatic
Thank you so much for your support these last three years! I really hope you enjoy the results of this change :)
Crittermatic
Ah good question, the diamond tier and gold tier remain the same, I'll still be doing monthly 3D stills and up to daily gold updates
Crittermatic
I really hope I can do a lot more given the extra time, I really want to redo the Cookie rig properly instead of rushing out rigs like I have been doing.
Crittermatic
I'm super excited too. The monthly deadline was certainly a great motivator but for sure limited what I could do in time.
Crittermatic
Thanks I'm glad you think so :)
Crittermatic
Thank you for supporting the work for a full year! I hope you like what's to come :)
KSM101
I am all game for those changes your content has easily been my all time favorite and the main reason i got on this site, regardless of what you decide to do content wise i support you, and as for mental health I've seen far to many contect creators stop altogether because they can't take a break I'd hate to see that here, so i for one eagerly await your next adventure and see what you can do with more freedom/freetime
C-W0LF
Im glad you're willing to make a change, I look forward to seeing the new content! Does this change affect the stills much?
Akeroh Natreshdaya
This makes sense! Having the month as an arbitrary restriction based simply on the common patreon payment schedule has been a major influence in your workflow and freeing the flows from that would really untie a lot of your creativity! I feel like the upgrade in creativity and quality would be much more attractive to patreons even if there is some friction with the less consistent schedule. Either way, creativity and quality should be prime, and I'm excited to see what sort of fun and creative things the new methodology inspires!
Orsuros
You've worked long and hard under the limitations the current format forces on you. I'm excited to see what you can do with more freedom.
Aura
This sounds like an awesome change! I'm here to watch you grow as an artist, and mental health us super important, so do whatever you feel is right!
Leo Vistrom
Hey, take every bit of time you need! Everything you've pushed out since I've subbed has been absolutely fantastic, and everything before hand as well. If taking more time between projects means better overall quality and an easier time for you mentally, then I'm all for it. I don't wanna see one of my favorite creators burned out cause of a scheduling problem. You do what you gotta do to keep going strong.
Crittermatic
And hopefully those good things will come to you guys too :D
Crittermatic
I really appreciate it thank you!
Renger
Take time for you, Good things always come to those who wait.
KDESTROYER18
Adding onto what Lilly said but if this will also improve your mental health that’s all that really matters so I’m 100% good with this!
Crittermatic
Thank you, it should mean a mix of long detailed animations and short loops in-between to keep things interesting.
Lilly
Your content has been pretty fantastic so far. And the rate you have been pushing these clips through has been incredible. If you taking your time means longer or more detailed animations, I'm all for it!
